Add your thoughts using the KWL approach. Thinking about Game Mechanics, Games-Based Learning or gamification.....
K = What do you know? At this stage I am not really sure I understand the actual concept properly, but know about some digital games which I have personally played but not sure how these could be manipulated to use them to their full advantage. W = What do you want to learn?
to exploit digital games to fit the needs of my students, who are clearly fascinated by this media and one perhaps which I don’t fully understand as an adult who did not grow up with such media. It is hard to see the fascination for something if you don’t have an interest in it or use of it at the same age.
L = What have you learned? (we'll do this last one later) Level 1
I have learned so far to actually analyse why my students enjoy games in all forms. Something I had, in all my years of teaching, never really addressed. I had worked on their enjoyment and their emotional responses rather than actually sit back and think about how the games were working and what I could do to structure them differently.
Reflection
Add your thoughts here and also add to the KWL notes above, where appropriate.
Level 2
Where do I start?
Identify some learning outcomes that you will be visiting with your students in upcoming lessons. Note down here some ways they might benefit from gamification.
Year 7 : repeat it if it’s true vocabulary game : has competition important for boys, excitement at knocking others out of the game,instant feedback with elimination , rewards at the end
Year 8 : Auction : to practise numbers : elements are simple : copies of things boys would like to buy and then each boy is given a varied number of “euros” which they can spend at the auction: This requires : competition and cooperation, progression with numbers and knowing their numbers, feedback – you win that item – level of differentiation – boys need to work out what they can and cannot say. Taking turns. Reward of winning the auction.
Year 10 : Whispering dictation : competition among groups, serious cooperation is required, simple element – text based on what they have learnt in context, pen and paper Physical as they have to walk back and forth across classroom, self assessment when they get things right/wrong and they need to go back and check. Relationships : the cooperation and camaraderie can bring peer groups together who don’t normally interact. Observe and reflect After playing a game what are your personal thoughts about the design and elements involved and how any of these could help you in thinking about doing the same in a learning activity?
Level 3
Premiers Reading Challenge Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience. (feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
- my own son completed the premiers reading challenge and got a gold certificate or something similar during his time at school and was so motivated to read that it was a pleasure to see from a parental point of view. he was motivated by the challenge, he enjoyed the texts he read and read texts out of his comfort zone as well as being able to choose texts that he enjoyed. The requirements were a library card and the support of our excellent librarian who actually ran a book club for the reading challenger boys.
- there was progression through the years
- there was emotion from reading
-there were rules and a structure that were easy to follow and apply both for parents and students
-A lot of opportunities for challenge, mastery, reward and accomplishment. Clear need to co-operate compete, mentor, lead, perform, express yourself or and personalise something. Lots of interaction with others to discuss, achieve goals and get things done.
-
Zombie Learning Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience. (feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
- this is a lot harder as I am not familiar with this game despite reading and watching the material. As a languages teacher it is more difficult to apply as it is not in the foreign language so application would be harder. - however there are elements of the application that could be used such as the graphic novel idea An obvious story, theme and or graphical experience. Relevance and or relationship to player’s life. Obvious chance to improve skills or knowledge and how to progress is visible. Some intentions for player emotions during experience eg: empathy, hopefulness, outrage at injustice. Displays a lot of the following: ● challenges ● chance ● competition ● co-operation ● resource acquisition ● rewards ● transactions ● turns ● win states (achievable goals/endpoint) ● feedback (may be levels or points.) Obvious opportunities for challenge, mastery, reward and accomplishment. Obvious opportunity for creativity, surprise, exploration, joy of figuring out a problem, and or role play. Obvious moments of excitement, relaxation, repetition, rhythm, opportunities to express values or be creative.
You Try/ A final reflection
Add your finished plan here as an upload file or as text you have cut and pasted into the wiki. We would love to give you feedback to help you get started. (remember it does not need be perfect, it is a first attempt). Alternatively it can be emailed to us instead.
Game Thinking Planning Template
Lesson outcomes (These are also the constraints in your game dynamics, refer to your syllabus document)
UL.1 & 3 : listening and speaking practice – comprehension and pronunciation
To teach boys the question : Who is it in French.
Description of your audience (Age, likes and dislikes, motivations etc)
Year 7 French : celebrities/sportsmen/women, Ages 11-12
Motivations : sticker competition running in the classroom. They didn’t want to use classdojo apps on their ipads because they used it in junior school and couldn’t see the point of it and seem to prefer the tangible idea of immediate rewards for not just winning a game but also being rewarded for asking good questions, answering in French, applying a new concept etc.
Time constraints (How many hours, lessons, weeks, terms will you have to complete the intended gamified experience or game) 10-15 minutes of a 45 minute lesson.
Game Elements (Game Dynamics, Game Mechanics and Game Components) Dynamics : Outcomes : Qui est-ce? Mechanics : competition, feedback, rewards ; taking turns ; differentiation (based on cultural knowledge) Components : powerpoint activity, photos of boys, teachers, celebrities, people they know about. Repetitions : self assessment – what do I know more than someone else or what do I not know that they know and do I know it now.
Fun check (Integrated purposefully built into your experience including Easy fun, Hard fun, Serious fun and Social fun) It is serious fun because they are learning a new concept but social fun because they can discuss who I have put up next on the screen for them to discuss.
It’s easy fun as it is repetitious but can be developed into a more difficult game once the boys know more vocabulary
Have you filled in the evaluation? Have you found the bonus level content? Yes all completed and evaluation submitted.
Badges & Rewards
Level 1
KWL (Levels 1 and 3)
Add your thoughts using the KWL approach. Thinking about Game Mechanics, Games-Based Learning or gamification.....K = What do you know? At this stage I am not really sure I understand the actual concept properly, but know about some digital games which I have personally played but not sure how these could be manipulated to use them to their full advantage.
W = What do you want to learn?
to exploit digital games to fit the needs of my students, who are clearly fascinated by this media and one perhaps which I don’t fully understand as an adult who did not grow up with such media. It is hard to see the fascination for something if you don’t have an interest in it or use of it at the same age.
L = What have you learned? (we'll do this last one later) Level 1
I have learned so far to actually analyse why my students enjoy games in all forms. Something I had, in all my years of teaching, never really addressed. I had worked on their enjoyment and their emotional responses rather than actually sit back and think about how the games were working and what I could do to structure them differently.
Reflection
Add your thoughts here and also add to the KWL notes above, where appropriate.Level 2
Where do I start?
Identify some learning outcomes that you will be visiting with your students in upcoming lessons. Note down here some ways they might benefit from gamification.Year 7 : repeat it if it’s true vocabulary game : has competition important for boys, excitement at knocking others out of the game,instant feedback with elimination , rewards at the end
Year 8 : Auction : to practise numbers : elements are simple : copies of things boys would like to buy and then each boy is given a varied number of “euros” which they can spend at the auction:
This requires : competition and cooperation, progression with numbers and knowing their numbers, feedback – you win that item – level of differentiation – boys need to work out what they can and cannot say. Taking turns. Reward of winning the auction.
Year 10 : Whispering dictation : competition among groups, serious cooperation is required, simple element – text based on what they have learnt in context, pen and paper
Physical as they have to walk back and forth across classroom, self assessment when they get things right/wrong and they need to go back and check. Relationships : the cooperation and camaraderie can bring peer groups together who don’t normally interact.
Observe and reflect
After playing a game what are your personal thoughts about the design and elements involved and how any of these could help you in thinking about doing the same in a learning activity?
Level 3
Premiers Reading Challenge Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience. (feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)- my own son completed the premiers reading challenge and got a gold certificate or something similar during his time at school and was so motivated to read that it was a pleasure to see from a parental point of view. he was motivated by the challenge, he enjoyed the texts he read and read texts out of his comfort zone as well as being able to choose texts that he enjoyed. The requirements were a library card and the support of our excellent librarian who actually ran a book club for the reading challenger boys.
- there was progression through the years
- there was emotion from reading
-there were rules and a structure that were easy to follow and apply both for parents and students
-A lot of opportunities for challenge, mastery, reward and accomplishment.
Clear need to co-operate compete, mentor, lead, perform, express yourself or and personalise something. Lots of interaction with others to discuss, achieve goals and get things done.
-
Zombie Learning Reflection
Write your thoughts here and or print a rubric and circle the appropriate areas you notice as you review the rules of this gamified experience.(feel free to scan or photograph and upload your rubic to this page.)
- this is a lot harder as I am not familiar with this game despite reading and watching the material. As a languages teacher it is more difficult to apply as it is not in the foreign language so application would be harder.
- however there are elements of the application that could be used such as the graphic novel idea
An obvious story, theme and or graphical experience. Relevance and or relationship to player’s life.
Obvious chance to improve skills or knowledge and how to progress is visible.
Some intentions for player emotions during experience eg: empathy, hopefulness, outrage at injustice.
Displays a lot of the following:
● challenges
● chance
● competition
● co-operation
● resource acquisition
● rewards
● transactions
● turns
● win states (achievable goals/endpoint)
● feedback (may be levels or points.)
Obvious opportunities for challenge, mastery, reward and accomplishment.
Obvious opportunity for creativity, surprise, exploration, joy of figuring out a problem, and or role play.
Obvious moments of excitement, relaxation, repetition, rhythm, opportunities to express values or be creative.
You Try/ A final reflection
Add your finished plan here as an upload file or as text you have cut and pasted into the wiki. We would love to give you feedback to help you get started. (remember it does not need be perfect, it is a first attempt). Alternatively it can be emailed to us instead.Game Thinking Planning Template
Lesson outcomes (These are also the constraints in your game dynamics, refer to your syllabus document)
To teach boys the question : Who is it in French.
Description of your audience (Age, likes and dislikes, motivations etc)
Year 7 French : celebrities/sportsmen/women, Ages 11-12
Motivations : sticker competition running in the classroom. They didn’t want to use classdojo apps on their ipads because they used it in junior school and couldn’t see the point of it and seem to prefer the tangible idea of immediate rewards for not just winning a game but also being rewarded for asking good questions, answering in French, applying a new concept etc.
Time constraints (How many hours, lessons, weeks, terms will you have to complete the intended gamified experience or game)
10-15 minutes of a 45 minute lesson.
Game Elements (Game Dynamics, Game Mechanics and Game Components)
Dynamics : Outcomes : Qui est-ce?
Mechanics : competition, feedback, rewards ; taking turns ; differentiation (based on cultural knowledge)
Components : powerpoint activity, photos of boys, teachers, celebrities, people they know about.
Repetitions : self assessment – what do I know more than someone else or what do I not know that they know and do I know it now.
Fun check (Integrated purposefully built into your experience including Easy fun, Hard fun, Serious fun and Social fun)
It is serious fun because they are learning a new concept but social fun because they can discuss who I have put up next on the screen for them to discuss.
It’s easy fun as it is repetitious but can be developed into a more difficult game once the boys know more vocabulary
Have you filled in the evaluation? Have you found the bonus level content?
Yes all completed and evaluation submitted.